A single-location setting is one of the great movie setups across genres, especially with action. Essentially recreating Die Hard on a slew of locations like a mountain, a bus, or a plane, makes for high-octane adrenaline action. Where machismo overcomes logic and things go to bang. However, the plane also does a good deal of comedy and drama. The fear of flying lives long in the hearts of an audience so trapping people in the air, forced to overcome the odds of gravity, is one of the great Hollywood tropes. Of course, it's not just about what happens in the plane, but the tragedy or victory of overcoming those odds after landing. These are the best movies that take place on planes.
12 Turbulence
As trashy as early-90s Hollywood could’ve been, Turbulence is straight analog adrenaline running on the bare bones of its cast and director to justify the existence of some nasty kills and thrills. In one of the great, over-the-top performances from the late Ray Liotta, as a prisoner being escorted amidst a mass transport, Liotta manages to break free and connive his way through the staff. A madcap performance that channels the sweet charm of his Goodfellas performance while churning the character inside out into a Ted Bundy essence. Using the gorgeous blue eyes to disarm the staff, Liotta takes it to new heights. Burning bodies on the plane, ripping cigarettes, and laughing his way till the end.
11 Passenger 57
“Always bet on black!” People forget the run Wesley Snipes went on in the 90s, leading up to his iconic turn as the vampire-hunting, badass Blade. After Die Hard, there was a litany of copycats that transplanted the famous Nakatomi Plaza for varying locations, putting a badass cop on a plane with out-of-sort terrorists was a decent formula for big-budgeted action thrillers. Right in the throes of this was Snipes in Passenger 57. While not all of the action takes place on the plane, director Kevin Hooks reliably kept the 90s-style action thriller tight and with plenty of hammy moments from its villain, played by Bruce Payne. Passenger 57 is a vestige of the old Hollywood that would reliably put out entertaining films, perfect for a Saturday matinee.
10 Air Force One
Harrison Ford was a reliable action star all the way from his iconic turn as Star Wars rebel Han Solo, from his time as Indiana Jones, and even past and through the 90s. The rough and grumble of his old man bite led him to play one kick-ass portrayal of an American president. Air Force One sees the famous plane gets hijacked by a group of terrorists led by Gary Oldman. Again, shifting accents to play another incarnation of one of his great villains, he and Ford go toe-to-toe. Not just in a battle of might, but as Ford navigates the maze-like plane to bring down the hostages and save the flight from destruction.
9 Snakes on a Plane
A film as ridiculous as its title will lead you to believe, Snakes on a Plane was sold on the sole premise of a volatile Samuel L. Jackson going to war with poisonous snakes on a flight held hostage by the terror. With hilarious caricatures permeating the flight as an assassin attempts to take down Jackson, the kills add up to more and more ridiculous as Jackson throws out the famous line that was partly a selling point of the movie. Snakes on a Plane is a preposterously plotted but fun action ride.
8 Up in the Air
A film about the luxury of air travel, a romantic comedy, and also a hearty workplace drama about the tragedy of recession and the shrinking of the middle class, Up in the Air is George Clooney at his finest. Catching director Jason Reitman at an apex in his filmmaking prowess, the film deftly handles the privilege of corporate jobs as Clooney falls for Vera Farmiga. The romance goes in unexpected places as Clooney flies from city to city, firing characters played by comedic heavyweights like Danny McBride, J.K. Simmons, and Zach Galifianakis. The peculiarities of frequent fliers and the excitement of not having a home but belonging to the air felt fresh.
7 Red Eye
A perfectly tuned thriller from Wes Craven, albeit, stepping away from the slasher horror and delivering something more apiece with action while still keeping the vector of doom around every corner. Red Eye is essentially a two-hander with Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy. McAdams plays the hostage to the creepy Murphy, who has her dad under tight surveillance for murder. Craven crafts the film around their flight as McAdams must decide if she wants to play his game or fight back, alerting the entire flight to her situation. It's a quick 90 minutes, but one that gives you plenty to chew on.
6 Con Air
The same year as Face/Off saw Nicolas Cage vying for the action throne. With one of — even by Cage’s standards — the more off-the-wall characterizations with a strange southern affectation as Cameron Poe, a convict who wants to get home to see his daughter. The junky plane gets hijacked. With another over-the-top performance from the insane thespian, John Malkovich, the escort goes down terribly. With a stacked cast of actors like Ving Rhames, Dave Chappelle, Steve Buscemi and John Cusack, Con Air is good old junky fun. With high caliber and big budgeted action that set itself apart, with a muscular cast, the film still holds up today.
5 Fearless
Peter Weir’s often meditative, near-mystical approach to filmmaking always transcends the boundaries of reality his characters find themselves in. Whether it be Truman Show or Master and Commander, his films push their protagonist to the limits. Only to come out the other end of the void changed dramatically. Fearless, a film starring Jeff Bridges as a man who survives a plane crash, does no different. As Bridges struggles to cope with this newfound application for life as he pushes his family away and fails to recognize the pain he’s going through. Weir slowly builds the horrors of the plane crash and finally creates one of the more stupefying, horrible, and hair-raising plane crashes put on film.
4 Top Gun
One of two collaborations Tony Scott had with superstar actor Tom Cruise where vehicular mayhem and pure adrenaline collide with the performers' buoyant vibrancy as the hotshot pilot, feuding with top military brass. Top Gun is a military-fueled injection of brotherly bonds. With Cruise trying to navigate the skies as the best pilot in the game feuding opposite his rival Iceman (Val Kilmer) while buddying up with Goose (Anthony Edwards). The film is an ultimate “dudes rock” portrait, soaking every scene in sweat and machismo while earning an always charismatic performance from Cruise. Scott makes the film not only a visual but also an auditory experience, drowning us in the fury of F/A-18 fighter jets.
3 Airplane!
If there were ever a plaque enshrined to a genius level of stupidity, it should go to Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers for Airplane!, one of the first great spoof and satire films in Hollywood, that would set the template for years to come. Second to second sets out to make you laugh, throwing any semblance of reality out the window, going for the throat, comedically, in every scene. From Leslie Nielsen's iconic line reading “Don’t call me Shirley,” to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar taking over the plane, Airplane spoofed all the disaster films that became fashionable in the 70s to gut-splitting delight, marking new territory for comedy.
2 Non-Stop
Over the course of his long, storied career, Liam Neeson has become a bonafide action star. Spending much of the last 15 years — since Taken — taking out random henchman in the name of some personal vengeance or justice, he has left a bevy of films behind him. One of which is Non-Stop. Part of an ongoing collaboration with French director Jaume Collet-Serra, the two have made four films that bang from front to back. What makes Non-Stop singular is its commitment to the breakneck pace of a bomb set to detonate on a crowded plane and the ongoing conspiracy that unfolds, including a great list of actors like Corey Hawkins, Scoot McNairy, and Julianne Moore. Even as a bomb sets to blow, the drunken perseverance of Neeson shines through.
1 Top Gun: Maverick
Flying high to fully immerse an audience in the air-shattering, death-defying spectacle of raging F/A-18 against daytime skies, Claudio Miranda and close collaborator Joseph Kosinski knew they could spare no space. The two created a new look for Top Gun: Maverick while also paying homage to the original. Living in the shadow of an accomplished visual stylist like Tony Scott is no easy feat. Miranda’s mounted cameras and Cruise’s dedication to staying in the cockpit engineered one of the most awe-inspiring and entertaining spectacles of 2022. With a warmer look than the original and a light dedicated to making Cruise’s Mach-10 flight appear as a deity, the gorgeous vistas and atmosphere-breaking shots made for a deliciously American visual feast.